Abu Dhabi: Residents in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region can now donate blood at the brand new blood donation centre in Zayed City.
The centre can cater to 3,000 donors per year and has been launched by Abu Dhabi public health provider, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) as part of its Abu Dhabi Blood Bank Services (ADBBS). The new blood donation centre in Al Dhafra was inaugurated by Dr Tarek Fathey, Seha group chief executive officer.
Why donate
“Blood donation is a fundamental element to health care and is critical for the successful treatment of dire medical situations. We are giving community members across the capital the opportunity to be involved in the process of healing — the opportunity to save lives. The launch of the new blood donation unit eases the process for members of the public to donate, reiterating Seha’s commitment to strengthen the reach of our network and world-class health-care services,” Dr Fathey said.
“I strongly encourage all capable individuals to donate blood as frequently as possible. The availability of adequate blood units can be life-saving for patients who are dependent on blood transfusions, for the successful completion of their treatments,” added Dr Marwan Al Kaabi, Seha’s acting chief operating officer.
Operating hours
The new centre will operate between 8am and 5pm on weekdays and will welcome residents from Zayed City, Al Ghayathi and Dalma Island. Seha had also previously stressed the adoption of strict quality standards at its blood banks, which allow residents to donate blood 14 days after receiving the first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
ADBBS was established in 2020 and is overseen by the Department of Health — Abu Dhabi. Operating within a network of blood donation centres located in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra regions, ADBBS provides blood products and transfusion-related medical services across Abu Dhabi emirate.
In January 2020, ADBBS pioneered the Frozen Red Blood Cells project with the overarching mission of creating a strategic blood inventory by freezing approximately 600 units of frozen red blood cells every year, over the next five years, to address urgent blood transfusion needs.
